The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced a public comment period for more than 20 proposed property buyouts.
Among the long list, there are six sites in Southwest Washington, including one in the Lewis County town of Packwood and another south of Vader just over the county line in neighboring Cowlitz County.
WDFW released an announcement on Thursday, Oct. 30, that officially calls for public comment on 21 properties that the department is considering purchasing for conservation and wildlife access.
According to the news release, all of the proposals are under review through the department's “Lands 20/20” vision for the future process that started in 2005. That process considers habitat management plans, conservation initiatives, community perspectives and nearby recreation opportunities.
“WDFW takes its role in managing public lands very seriously and carefully weighs the conservation and recreation value of new acquisitions,” WDFW Lands Division Manager Kevin Connally said. “We’ve recently seen how much the public values access to our shared outdoor spaces, and WDFW is focused on responsible stewardship of land that promotes outdoor opportunities and conservation of fish, wildlife and habitats.”
After final approval by WDFW Director Kelly Susewind, the department will move forward with finding grant funding for all accepted proposals. According to the department, grant funds will likely come from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and from the federal government under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. The recent announcement added that securing grant funding can at times take years.
The proposal for Lewis County is to purchase 7.7 acres of land along Rest Haven Road near Packwood. According to a short description of the proposal, the land is meant to provide easily accessible fishing and recreation access on the main stream of the Cowlitz River just 1.5 miles upstream of a salmon release site.
The site located south of Vader will also secure fishing and recreation access. According to a description of the proposal, the purchase of a 4.3-acre plot of land would secure around 3 miles of public access to the main stem of the Cowlitz River.
WDFW staff are scheduled to provide briefings to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on all of proposed land purchases during the commission's virtual web meeting scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12. More information on the commissioners upcoming meetings can be found on the commission's website at https://tinyurl.com/37uv872w.
More information on the specific proposed property purchases can also be found on the department's website by visiting https://tinyurl.com/47dwpm2v. The department will accept comments on the proposals submitted through email. To submit comments, simply email lands@dfw.wa.gov before the end of the public comment period Nov. 26.
